Almost Here
by shadow-of-a-demon
Summary: Matt's a slave, desperate for freedom. Mello's a King, longing for excitement. When two completely different paths cross, destiny clashes. /AU/
1. An Attempt for Freedom

A/N: This story idea came to me thanks to Destini

**Setting: **So I originally intended for this fic to take place in Ancient Egypt… but I then realized that I know nothing about that place during that particular time period. So instead the setting for this story is way back in the past during a time and place where slavery was common and the land was ruled by one single king. If you really want to picture a place, then picture Ancient Egypt, just disregard all their laws and such, since I'm not following them.

**Dis-of-the-claiming: **I don't own Death Note.

**Chapter 1.**

The air held an almost sickening warmth to it. The sun beat down in a scorch of fire and the slight breeze only succeeded in stirring up the sand, making it more of a burden than a comfort. Matt for what seemed like the thousandth time, blinked the sand out of his eyes as he tried his hardest to concentrate on the task ahead. By now, he knew what the consequences were if he messed up or dared to defy his master. Bruises still covered his frail body from the last time he had made a mistake.

Matt could feel his master, Mikami, staring at him through the parted curtain of the temple window. He didn't dare look back—eye contact was strictly forbidden between slaves and masters—but he always got this tingling sensation up his spine that forewarned him of wandering eyes. Matt concentrated on moving the heavy blocks of stone as quickly as he could. If he moved fast enough, there was a chance he wouldn't be beaten tonight.

After just a few minutes of dragging and pulling the sweat was pouring off him. The sun was at its highest point in the sky and was becoming nearly unbearable. He longed for a sip of water or even a short break, but that bastard Mikami was still watching him like a hawk.

The man did not trust Matt, not in the least, for in the short amount of time—two months to be exact—that he had owned Matt; the boy had already tried to escape five times. Normally he would have disposed of someone so disobedient, but Matt was different. Mikami couldn't stand to get rid of someone as beautiful as Matt. The boy was simply gorgeous with his red hair and emerald eyes, unlike anyone else. Not to mention the way he would try his hardest not to scream when he was beaten was simply adorable to the man. There was no way that Mikami would ever get rid of Matt, unless he had no other option.

Matt groaned as he strained to move a particularly large stone across the ground. It was a pointless job given to him as an excuse to punish him if he went too slowly. Mikami loved to torture him… and watch him. The watching was the worst though; Matt could sometimes _feel_ the longing in the man's eyes. He tried to ignore it, but it wasn't always easy.

Matt longed to be free again. Every night he dreamed of his life before his family had sold him off as a slave to pay for a debt. It was painful remembering his almost carefree life, only to wake up to forced labour and abuse. Often just to pass the time, he'd plot ways of escape and diabolical plans to set himself free. They never seemed promising and only made his heart ache painfully in longing for something he'd never again have.

Matt's spirit was not yet broken though. He had set his plans into motion multiple times, taking every opportunity that came his way. The last time had been his best taste of freedom yet. He had nearly escaped, running a whole 10 miles in the scorching heat before he was caught. Mikami had beaten him bad for that, locked him up for five days straight without food or water. Still, Matt firmly believed that he would one day escape. He just had to wait for the right opportunity to arrive.

Soft footsteps padding against the rough ground alerted Matt to a presence behind him. Swiftly he turned around, averting his eyes to the ground. His body tensed; an automatic reaction now.

"Boy," Mikami spoke, his voice cold. "I have another job for you to do today. Though you may not know this, I have a rather… influential stand in this kingdom." At this the corners of the man's mouth curled up in a rather sadistic looking grin. His hand reached out, stroking Matt's cheek, who shuddered meekly at the contact. "Yes, you could say I have some rather impressive connections." He laughed then, his hand trailing downward, grazing the length of the red head's back.

Matt stood frozen in place, not daring to move a muscle. He wanted to lash out at the man before him with fury like nothing he had ever experienced before, but that was way too risky. If he wanted a proper chance of escape, he had to bide his time correctly. So instead, he settled with keeping his eyes squeezed tightly shut, his mouth in a grim line, as Mikami continued to trail over his slim body.

Mikami leaned down till his breath was ghosting over the other's lips. "Mmm, Matt," he breathed out, "you really are almost irresistible."

Matt concentrated on breathing at a normal rate. The beating he could handle—he was tough—but this side of Mikami was worse, far worse. His fingernails dug into his tightly clenched hands, as he tried not to panic at their current proximity. He had learned in his first week of enslavement that the man had a thing for other boys. Matt seemed to be his new toy, just as much as his slave.

Then just as suddenly, it was over. Mikami was standing back a few feet, his arms crossed with a cruel smirk plastered across his features. "So come along. I have some business to take care of at the royal palace and there are a few people I'd like you to meet."

'_More like people you want to show me off to,'_ Matt thought bitterly. He started to take a few steps, but was interrupted by a hand roughly grabbing his shoulder.

"And don't," Mikami hissed, his grip tightening painfully, nearly making Matt cry out, "even think about trying to escape. Understand?"

Matt nodded viciously, just wanting to get this over with.

-

-

Matt had never, in his sixteen years of existence, been inside the royal palace. His family had always had normal standings in the city, so he really didn't have any idea about what to expect. He had heard tales of how the king—a teenage boy no older than himself—was a narcissistic and selfish being, always demanding for the strangest things, like a room made entirely of chocolate. It was said that anyone who dared to defy him, he would slaughter on the spot with his own bare hands. Of course, Matt couldn't be sure that any of that was true—especially the room made of chocolate—which just seemed ridiculous. Who would honestly need a room of chocolate?

So as Matt shuffled inside the palace directly behind Mikami, he couldn't help but experience a sense of awe. Just the foyer was huge, with great white pillars lined in gold stretching from the floor all the way to the ceiling, which loomed about forty feet above his head. The walls were covered in hundreds of exquisite paintings and lined with silk sheets. The floor was pure marble, so clean that Matt could clearly see his own reflection gazing back at him. At the far end of the grand room was a broad staircase, lined with thick red carpet from bottom to top. At the top of the stairs stood five men, obviously there to guard the entrance to the main part of the palace.

Matt followed Mikami towards the staircase, his footsteps echoing harshly in the hushed corridor. He felt completely out of place in this lavishly decorated palace, almost like unseen eyes were watching him in disdain.

"Halt!" one of the larger guards commanded, holding out his hand in front of him. "Please state your business."

Mikami gave an impatient smile. "I have an appointment with Light Yagami."

The guard who had previously spoken gave a curt nod. "Right this way sir, Misa will show you the way."

The guards allowed them entrance through the doorway, into a small and narrow corridor, lit by torches attached to the walls every few feet. There was no natural light and Matt shivered for the air held a damp chill to it. A few feet away, a blond girl was staring at them, a huge grin brightening her features.

"Hello, my name is Misa Misa and I'll be guiding you to my Light!" she proclaimed loudly, shattering the silence of the hall and making Matt's eardrums ring.

Mikami's gaze shifted back to the entranceway as he wondered if he should maybe ask for a different escort. Misa was already walking down the hallway now though, so he figured he take his chances. Reaching back and giving Matt a harsh tug of the wrist to speed him up, the two proceeded down the hall after Misa.

Matt lost track of the way he had come in a matter of minutes. Misa lead them through a path of twists and turns, _left, right, left, left, right, or was it another left? _ He felt like he was walking in a giant circle, except for the fact that he was slowly going lower underground as well, though it took him a while to realize this. He figured it was probably for the protection of the King. In the off chance that someone did manage to get by the guards, they wouldn't be able to find their destination anyway.

Finally, just when Matt was wondering if they were completely lost or not, they arrived at their objective. "Light is through here," Misa practically giggled.

Mikami expected her to leave them now, though it was not to be. She bounced into the room before them, looking around anxiously. "Light! Where are you?"

They heard a strange shuffling noise and a man who couldn't have been that much older than Matt himself appeared from around a corner. "What is it Misa?" he asked in what was obviously an annoyed tone. It seemed they had interrupted him during something important.

Mikami cleared his throat and Light's eyes flashed towards him. Upon seeing his visitor, something along the lines of a smile appeared on Light's face, though it was much too sinister to be such. Matt noticed an ominous feeling seething through the air as the two exchanged glances, but it seemed he was the only one. Misa was far too distracted as she fumbled around trying to get back Light's attention.

"Misa," Light spoke, that strange smile still plastered across his face. "You need to leave." His voice was cold and Matt vaguely wondered what the girl saw in him, for it was painfully obvious that she was in love with him.

"But Light," she wined, her lips pulling down to form a cute pout. "I wanted to spend time with you too."

Light cringed. "Later Misa. I have some business I need to conduct. You understand that right?"

"Aww, fine," she sulked, leaving the room at a slow pace, but not before turning around and sticking her tongue out in Mikami's direction.

When she was finally gone Light sighed. "That girl is driving me crazier by the day."

Mikami's face broke out into a grin that Matt had only seen when he was being beaten. "You know there are ways I could… delete her."

Light's eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "No, she has her uses."

"Whatever you say," Mikami responded, his tone doubtful.

At this Light smiled. "Think about it Mikami. Misa is completely head over heels in love with me. I have her wrapped around my little finger. She'll do anything I ask of her… if you catch my drift."

Mikami laughed a cruel, cold one that sent shivers down Matt's spine. It wasn't hard to figure out; these two men were cruel and sadistic people. He didn't quite understand what they were talking about, but whatever it was couldn't be good. He concentrated on making himself as inconspicuous as possible. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to draw attention to himself in a room alone with those two.

"I was thinking cyanide," Mikami said in an offhand tone.

"No, too risky. It has to be something less suspicious, something that can be hidden easily in food."

Matt's eyes widened. He wasn't very educated in the study of toxicology, but by the sounds of it, they seemed to be planning on poisoning someone… to kill. That would explain the malicious exchange of glances, but the question was who? Matt didn't want to stick around to find out.

As they talked, Matt had slowly backed away towards the door, inch by inch so no one would notice. Now the two men were completely caught up in their heated discussion, arguing about which poison to use apparently. No one was paying any attention to the silent red head about to slip out the door.

Matt ever so cautiously slid through the doorway, resisting the urge to bolt the moment he was out. His instincts were screaming at him to run, as his nerves and furiously beating heart tried to take over his actions. Slowly he walked away from the door, constantly looking over his shoulder. If he ran now—like he so desperately wanted to—they would hear him for sure, then he'd have no chance of escape. Of course, Mikami could look around any second now and discover his missing slave, but hopefully he'd be long gone before that happened.

Matt was shaking now, his hands trembling violently in nervousness at the thought of being caught. His eyes were focused straight ahead at his mental finish line; the spot were it would be safe to start running. Just a few more feet and he'd be free.

Almost stumbling over his own feet as he rounded the first corner, Matt let out a sigh, but there was no sense of relief in it. The initial escape was always easy, it was staying hidden that was the problem. Picking up his pace to a quick jog, he traveled down the torch lit hallway. Surprisingly he had yet to see anyone else traveling the halls, though he was careful to keep his pace moderately normal, for running would look too suspicious in a place like this.

It didn't take him long to realize he had no chance of finding his way out. The ever winding hallways made sure of that. He had no idea whether he was heading towards the exit or going deeper into the palace quarters. Either way, he'd have to find a place to hide soon. If he really was going in circles than there was a chance he could run straight into Mikami himself, now wouldn't that be swell.

By now Matt was fairly jumpy. He couldn't comprehend why he had yet to run into anyone. He was in the King's palace for gods' sake; he should have run into a servant or something by now. Matt wasn't sure how much more anxiety he could take. With every corner he expected to run into Mikami himself, but it was always just false alarms. With only his footsteps echoing around him, it was just way too eerie.

Suddenly there was a shout from around the corner up ahead. "Shit!" Matt cursed, looking around for some place to hide. The only visible place was a doorway a ways further down the hall. Grinding his teeth together in frustration he ran towards it, darting inside just before three heavily armoured figures came around the corner. He wasn't safe yet though and his eyes scanned the room, searching for a further hiding place. Immediately to his left stood a large wooden chest—a little too obvious of a hiding place, but it would have to suffice. Hopefully it wasn't locked.

Grabbing the top of the chest, he pushed the top up with all the strength he could muster, sighing in relief when it opened. Wasting no time, he dived inside, closing it slowly so it didn't make a loud noise to alert someone. He stilled his breathing, listening intently. He had hoped to avoid having to enter a strange room, but he had been left with no choice.

Matt resisted the urge to curse as he heard footsteps enter the room. If they decided to check in the chest, he was screwed. To his surprise though, someone spoke. "What do you think you're doing in here?"

"Our deepest apologises, my lord. We are looking for a teenage boy, we were just checking to see if he had come in here."

Matt's eyes widened and his heart seemed to stop beating. _My lord?_ He had chosen to hide in the King's room!Holy shit, he was dead!

"Well," the must be King barked back, "He's obviously not in here! So get out, you're disturbing me!"

"U-Uhh, s-sorry, my lord," one of the guards stuttered, bowing deeply.

Matt's mind reeled. What the hell was happening? Whoever was in the room had to have seen him come in, so why had he lied to the guards? The stories he had heard of the King killing people with his bare hands came flashing back to Matt's mind. That had to be it; the King wanted to kill him himself.

Gods, his mouth was feeling awfully dry at the moment.

Matt lay still, cramped inside the chest, waiting for his impending doom. Sure enough, footsteps echoed around the room, coming in his direction. His muscles tensed as he waited for the worst; hopefully it would be quick and painless.

The trunk lid flew open and Matt squeezed his eyes shut and waited… and waited. _So the King was the type that liked to torture, shit!_ Slowly he creaked his eyes open to find himself staring into the angry blue eyes of a thin blond boy. The boy's eyes narrowed as Matt met his gaze. If Matt had any doubt that this guy was the King, it was long gone after looking into those eyes.

"You better have one hell of a good excuse," he said, and Matt believed him.

-

-

A/N: So… what do you guys think? I don't usually like writing/reading AUs, but thanks to a certain someone I've had it in my head to write a fanfic that takes place in Ancient Egypt. This is as close as its getting to that. Drop me a line to tell me if you think it's worth continuing or not.


	2. A Room of Chocolate?

Dis-of-the-claiming: I still don't own Death Note -.-'

-

-

To say Matt was speechless was an understatement. Not a coherent thought was running through his head as he gaped up at the blond before him. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly as he struggled to find something to say. Finally he settled on sounding like a moron. "Umm, I'm Matt."

Mello let out a frustrated sigh as he stared at the shocked boy. The guy looked about his age, with messy red hair and confused green eyes. "And I'm Mello, now hurry up and get out of there."

Matt obeyed, quickly scrambling to his feet. He was weary of this Mello fellow, but the guy had a serious air of authority about him. He could see why someone so young had been appointed the position of King. He could probably make grown men flinch just by looking them in the eye.

After stepping out of the chest, Matt stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do. The thought of running briefly crossed his mind, but quickly vanished when Mello's fingers curled around his wrist. "Don't even think about trying to run," he said blankly, "you're coming with me."

Matt's breath hitched, but he had no choice but to follow as Mello began walking. Luckily it seemed they weren't going back into the hallways, instead Mello was leading him towards the back of the room. "So where exactly are you taking me," Matt said wearily.

"Someplace that no one else can enter," Mello replied.

"Oh," Matt muttered to himself as he was practically dragged along.

They reached the back wall of what must have been the throne room, for it contained a large chair with intricate patterns of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The chair was made entirely of gold except for the seat which held a thick cushion sewn with rich crimson velvet. It was definitely worth a huge chunk of cash, more than Matt had ever had in his life. But he wasn't concerned about the chair at the moment. No, instead he was staring at Mello like the boy had grown a second head. For said boy was currently feeling around the brick wall behind the chair, apparently looking for something…

"What exactly are you doing?" Matt asked cautiously, still not sure what to expect from the king.

"You'll see," Mello said, not paying any attention as he continued to feel around the wall. "Ha, there we are."

As Matt continued to watch, Mello pulled on one of the bricks which slid out from the wall with a little jostling. Intrigued, Matt continued to survey the blond as he stuck his hand in the small hole, obviously feeling around for something. A few seconds passed and then there was a loud clicking noise as something in the wall snapped into place.

Mello pulled his hand out, smirking. "If you'll turn your attention to that chair, you'll understand why I was just doing that."

Matt raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told. Turning his attention to the royal chair, he was shocked to find the whole thing slowly shifting to the left. With a final creak it stopped its movement to reveal a hidden passageway containing a set of stairs that descended out of sight. "Man, now that's what I call cool," Matt muttered under his breath, shooting a grin in Mello's direction.

Mello smirked back as he grabbed an already lit torch that he always kept handy for days such as this, when he decided to make the descent into his secret room. "If you think this is cool, wait till you see what's down there."

Handing the torch to Matt, he motioned for the boy to go first. Seeing the look of alarm on the red head's face, he quickly explained that he needed to go last to seal the passageway, lest someone else discovered it.

Taking a deep breath as he stared into the deep, dark underground path, Matt took one last look around. For all he knew, Mello could be leading him into a secret torture chamber where he could keep him locked up for the rest of his life, doing worse things than Mikami had done. It was much too late for second thoughts though, he was stuck in this predicament whether he wanted to be or not.

At the sound of an impatient grunt from Mello, Matt began to descend into the crevice, holding the torch high as to reveal as much light as possible. He couldn't see the bottom of the staircase yet and as the fire cast long, dark shadows around him, he couldn't help but feel the panic rising within him. For surely Mello was leading him to his doom, no one in their right mind—especially the King—would ever help a low life slave like him.

The lower they descended, the cooler the air seemed to get. It almost seemed to hold a bitter chill to it, a nice contrast to the humid air outside. By the time the bottom step became visible to Matt's eyes, the boy was almost shivering from the low temperature.

"Stop!" Mello's voice commanded from a few steps above him.

Matt obeyed, coming to a stop on the final step. Mello continued walking until he was standing on the step directly above Matt. "Now hand me the torch."

Slightly reluctant to give up the only source of light, Matt did as he was told, passing it behind him. After grabbing the light, Mello squeezed by Matt and walked onto the floor. Not wanting to be left behind and without light, Matt followed, keeping close to the blond, but not too close to be considered creepy. It wasn't so much that he was afraid of the dark, more like he was afraid of creepy-dark-underground-passageways, to be precise.

Mello turned towards Matt, his face glowing eerily in the light of the fire. Matt held his breath, his eyes glued to those of the blond. Was the suspense over? Was Mello finally going to drop the act and kill him, right here in this cold, dark passageway where no one would ever discover his bloody and mutilated body?

…

"What you are about to see is definitely the coolest thing you will ever lay eyes on," Mello whispered, obviously excited, though his face remained cold.

…

Apparently not.

Lowering the torch till it touched the nearby ledge, Matt gasped as the fire quickly spread, its flames shooting across the room in a circle until both ends connected creating a ring of fire that lit up the entire room. Of course that wasn't the astounding part. No, more so was the room it self.

Matt couldn't believe his eyes. The room it self was in all honesty, a room made entirely of chocolate—well almost entirely. The walls, which were still made of the traditional stone brick, were decorated with various chocolate décor. Milk chocolate pillars connected the ceiling with the floor. Furniture and statues, sculpted from chocolate were scattered throughout the space and in the center of it all stood a giant fountain sprouting a dark liquid which Matt assumed must be chocolate. "What the hell!?" Matt couldn't help but gasp.

"It's a beauty, isn't it? Had it constructed a couple months ago for my birthday. You'd be amazed at what a couple death threats can get you."

Matt just continued to gawk in amazement. "H-How was all this even possible?" he stuttered, walking over till he was leaning against the fountain in a mesmerized manor.

Mello just gave Matt a look that clearly stated, please, I'm the King; I can do anything I want. Following Matt's lead, he too walked over to the fountain, dipping his whole hand in and raising it to his mouth to take a sip of liquid chocolate. Licking his lips, he turned and placed a hand on Matt's shoulder, spinning the boy around. Now that they were safe from wandering eyes it was time to find out just what was with this Matt fellow and why he had all the guards in such an uproar. "I think it's time you explain to me what's going on," he said, his gaze connecting with Matt's.

With a slight hesitation, Matt nodded and began telling his tale, from the time he was forced into slavery, right up to his escape from Mikami. Mello just listened silently, his face grim, nodding from time to time. When he was finished talking, Mello walked over to one of the chocolate chairs and began pacing in front of it.

Matt didn't dare interrupt. Whatever happened now was in Mello's hands and his alone. There was nothing he could do now. But he sure as hell hoped that whatever happened, it didn't involve returning to Mikami. For surely he'd be punished severely for this stunt, maybe he'd even be killed. In all honestly he'd probably be better off dead, than going through whatever Mikami had planned.

After what seemed like an eternity to Matt, Mello finally stopped pacing. He sighed, awaiting the blonde's verdict. _'Please, please, please just don't send me back to Mikami.'_

"I'll help you out," Mello said, "But it's going to cost you."

-

End Chapter. 2

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A/N: Man, I would have had this chapter up sooner. but fanfiction wouldn't let me post it. It was very frustrating! O.o what's it going to cost Matt! Dun, dun, dun, I wish I knew. Thanks to all my reviewers last chapter, you guys are amazing. I'm glad to know that some people are actually interested in reading this very strange alternate universe. Well feel free to drop me a line with any ideas or comments. They'd be very much appreciated.


	3. Absolute Power

A/N: -laughs nervously- I actually updated this, what a surprise. It's a good start; maybe I'll actually finish this then sometime before the summer is over. I hope I do, I think I'll put an effort into finishing now that I have a computer again. Enjoy.

Dis-of-the-claiming: Don't own it.

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Chapter 3:

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Matt nodded solemnly; he had been expecting that, everything in life seemed to cost him. Maybe one day he'd owe a price he couldn't afford. Maybe that time was now. All the same he couldn't help but show a small, sad smile. Anything was better than returning to Mikami. "So what do you have in mind for a payment?" he asked, his voice sounding braver than he felt.

Mello shrugged, swirling his finger around in his liquid chocolate as he spoke. "I don't know yet, but rest assured, I'll keep you around and safe from trouble while I think of something."

Matt nodded again, feeling half grateful, half frightened. He watched Mello's fingers as they moved about the chocolate, parting it like water. He had another question on the tip of his tongue, but he was reluctant to ask it. Still, it had to be said sooner or later. "What about Mikami?"

"What about him?" Mello stated, licking his fingers one by one, in what could only be described as a seductive manner.

Matt coughed, his face turning pink as he forced himself not to stare at the King. He voted instead to stare at his own worn out sandals. They were beige, with leather straps, very well used by the hot desert sand and the hours of labour they had been put through.

"What about Mikami?" Mello repeated in a slightly annoyed tone, still sucking on his fingers, the tip of his pink tongue darting out to lick away the last specks of sweetness.

"S-sorry," Matt stuttered, trying to avoid thinking about the blonde's actions. He had never found boys attractive before, not even many girls sparked his interest, so he wasn't too certain why these actions were stirring strange longings inside him. He wasn't very concerned about it at the moment; he had other more pressing matters to worry about. He forced his deep green eyes to meet Mello's sky blue. "I mean, what are you going to tell him? He bought me as a slave; he owns me and will until my debt has been paid."

Mello laughed, though the humour did not reflect in his eyes. They remained cold as steel. He stood, beckoning for Matt to follow him. "Soon you'll learn of the absolute power the King holds. I may not be loved, but I am feared, and that is the way I plan to keep it."

Matt followed, playing the part of the obedient dog he had been raised to be.

-

Absolute power was something Matt was often exposed to. Mikami never once let him forget just how much authority he held over the boy and even if he had, Matt wouldn't have forgotten. Though knowing something, and choosing to obey the terms of that knowledge are two different things entirely. Matt wasn't stupid as Mikami liked to think, just high spirited. A high spirited dog that he hadn't managed to break and it seemed never would.

The dark haired man cursed his luck. The guards had not found any trace of his prized possession, no matter how extensive the search. Where could that boy have gone? The guards at the entrance had assured the raging man that no one at all had left the palace since they had entered just over an hour ago, so the boy had to be in here somewhere. Gods forbid, Mikami was going to find him, no matter who he had to kill to get to him.

"Let me speak to the King," he barked at a nearby guard, his voice dripping with malice. Matt would be one sorry little boy when he found him. He'd have to purchase some of those barbed whips he had heard were circling around the black market. They'd leave more then just bruises this time.

The guard paled under Mikami's harsh gaze and cleared his throat. "I'm afraid the King really doesn't like to be disturbed, he wouldn't…"

His voice cut short as Mikami spat directly in his face, startling the words right out of his wide open mouth. He couldn't believe an outsider was treating him in such a fowl way. He raised his spear, its end sharpened to a deadly tip, but it didn't seem to faze the dark, angry man before him. Mikami was overcome by pure, hateful rage, a kind of rage that nothing could dissipate.

"Now you listen here," Mikami snarled, pushing the spear away as if it were nearly a piece of wood. "You are going to let me speak to the King, before I decide to get angry."

The guard looked aghast. If this wasn't angry, then what was? He surely didn't fancy finding out… but all the same, rules were rules and the King's temper was just as nasty. "Maybe you should…" he started, but was again interrupted, this time by a cool hand on his shoulder.

The guard sighed in relief when he realized who it was. A woman in her mid twenties stood beside the guard. She was fairly pretty, with long brown hair and light blue eyes. Mikami figured she was probably one of the King's many servants. An unimportant being that was wasting even more time in finding Matt was his impression of her. So he was pleasantly surprised, if not taken aback by what she said next.

"Mikami, the King has requested your presence."

-

To say Matt was nervous was an understatement. Mikami was a cold hearted bastard; there was no doubt about that. Even if Mello did get his way, Mikami wouldn't just give up without a fight. He was a man of revenge and punishment. Matt had mentioned that to Mello, but the blonde had just given him one of those I'm-the-King-don't-you-forget-it looks again. He hoped Mello's confidence wasn't to be doubted.

Matt had wanted to hide out of sight from Mikami when he came, but Mello had assured him that he needed him out in the open, right by his side to be precise. Matt had swallowed nervously, but obeyed, his gaze falling to the ground as the two of them waited for Mikami to arrive.

The sound of footsteps echoed outside, impatient footsteps, footsteps that meant business. Matt would have bolted had Mello not grabbed his arm, as if sensing the red head's thoughts. His fingers were cool against his skin, calming him down enough to stay focused.

There was a knock.

"Come in," Mello's voice rang out, loud and clear as it echoed off the marble walls and floor.

The door opened slowly, creaking as it went. Matt's eyes remained glued to the door, never moving as a lone figure entered. Mikami.

Mikami's eyes fell immediately on Matt. His expression almost made Matt laugh… almost but he thought better of it at the last minute. First he looked surprised, then angry, then gleeful. Obviously he thought Matt was going to be returned to him and by the King himself no doubt. Matt tried not to think of all the ideas of torture the cruel man probably had going through his head. There was no way he was going back there.

"I see you've found him," Mikami said, his voice laced with murderous delight.

Mello nodded, but as Mikami began to walk towards his prize, the blonde quickly put his arm in front of Matt. It was a sign that was a mixture of protection and possession. A sign that quickly wiped the smug look right off Mikami's ugly face. Again, Matt felt the urge to smile.

Mello cleared his throat, unlike Matt, he had a huge grin on his face, not one of joy, but of mockery. "Mikami, I have not called you here to return your little pet. No, I've called you here to announce that he is now mine. He belongs to me."

"What!?" Mikami's rage was apparent; he was shaking with it, which was something Matt had never seen before. "You can't do that," he sputtered, his hands clenching into fists as his eyes scrutinized the blonde King before him.

"You're wrong about that," Mello stated, the venom seeping into his voice as well. "I can, and I have. Guards, get rid of this rat!"

So they did, one guard with more joy than the others. But for how long, Matt wondered.

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End Chapter 3

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So I finished that chapter. All in one sitting which is the only way I can finish something. I think I shall update this again. I have a lot of free time this summer, so I should be able to stick to my word. Feel free to drop a line and give me your opinion, I'd love to hear it. I like opinions, good or bad.


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